Why I’m Voting for Elyse Shuster

While I typically do not explore matters pertaining to local politics in this column, I feel compelled this week to write a few words in support of School Committee candidate Elyse Shuster.

Elyse and I first met when we served together on the Foundation for Belmont Education Program Committee. The charge of this committee is to read and rank the grants that have been submitted by teachers, principals, and administrators from across the system.

Without question, Elyse’s insights into this process were among the most discerning and informative. She was able to draw on her educational background (a Masters degree in History and a teaching certificate in Middle School Social Studies), as well as her professional experience as an educator, in assisting the group in ranking the grants. In the process, she has gained an even keener insight into the needs of our schools.

The issues facing the School Committee in the coming years are sure to be formidable. Our schools must continue to align with the state’s Common Core curriculum – yet another unfunded mandate that must be met.  Next year, the School Committee will need to undertake the search for a permanent superintendent. Meanwhile, the teachers’ contract is due to be negotiated. All of this will occur while the schools continue to struggle to serve a steadily increasing student population within the confines of a Proposition 2½ budget.

It absolutely amazes me that anyone at all willingly puts her/himself forward, in the capacity of a volunteer, to tackle such enormous tasks as these. And quite frankly, it’s hard to imagine a more qualified candidate for School Committee than Elyse Shuster.

Elyse and I talked recently about her decision to run for this position.  As the wife of a present School Committee member, I know full well that the role she is running for is a Herculean one. For whichever candidates are elected, the position will consume hours and hours of time, week after week, month after month, for the next three years. So I asked Elyse: Why run?

“Simply stated,” she told me, “I want to see the schools in Belmont be the very best they can be. My kids have had good experiences overall in this system, but over the years I have witnessed concerning trends. Budget constraints and an emphasis on standardized testing are slowly eating away at enriching components of the system.”

Most would agree that this is an accurate assessment. While we are fortunate to live in a community where education is valued and prioritized, there is a sense that the quality of this education has somewhat eroded. Class sizes have risen, there are fewer electives offered at the high school, and National History Day is now gone with the wind from the required curriculum.

“Belmont offers a great education,” Elyse said. 

“But it has morphed into a great education in the basics.  I’d like Belmont to offer a school experience that’s more enriching, more stimulating, more interesting.”

As I sat listening to her speak, my appreciation for Elyse’s perspective grew.  In addition to her training and her experience as a professional educator, Elyse has been actively involved in all three of her daughters’ educations, beginning with PTO work at the Wellington School, where she assisted children in the classroom and also wrote grants to infuse the curriculum there with more enriching programs.

Elyse, it would seem, is perfectly poised to sit at the School Committee table.  I asked her: if she wins the election, what strengths would she bring to the group?

“Having been a witness to the educational system in Belmont for the past 15 years, I think I bring a lot to the table.  We need to look for creative solutions – ones that might not be obvious – to solve some of the problems we face.  I do not have an agenda nor can I offer up any easy answers, and I still have a lot to learn about addressing the challenges facing our schools, but I am skilled in bringing together people with disparate opinions. I am a good mediator and I have experience in finding common ground.

The bottom line is this: I want the best possible intellectual, social, and emotional experience for all Belmont’s kids.” 

As our time together wound down, I asked Elyse if she was enjoying the campaign process. She told me she was truly humbled by the support she has received. 

“People have been so very generous with their words of support for me. It has been an amazing experience, one that I am grateful to have been a part of.” 

Next Tuesday, April 2, Belmont will go to the polls. I hope you will consider joining me in casting a vote for Elyse Shuster for School Committee.